A Guide for Cardinian Clerics

Clerics in Cardinia are slightly different than those found in other settings. The gods rarely take an active hand in the affairs of mortals, and give their faithful little guidance. Cardinians are largely left alone to interpret their own meaning and doctrine. Except Shik. Shik has plans and tries to guide her followers to achieve her goals.

Faith and the gods, while important to many Cardinians, is not a strong driving force in the world. Clerics with a patron Deity are free to invent and interperet their own guiding principles, and regularly do.

Some churches still remain from the Age of Champions, where the gods did regularly walk the land, but they are rare. The most organized church is that of Farrok, who instructed his faithful to build great libraries and share knowledge with any who seek it.

The information below outlines briefly the current understanding of each god, but is by no means authoritative.

Deities

Deity

Alignment

Domains

Vurk

Neutral

Creation (life), Spontaneity (Trickery), Nature

Sonah

Neutral

Destruction (Death), Time (Knowledge), Grave

Varuna

Neutral Good

Magic (Knowledge), Craft (Knowledge), Forge

Auruhm

Lawful Neutral

Light, Tradition (Knowledge), War

Shik

Neutral Evil

Darkness (Trickery), Innovation (Trickery), War

Farrok

Neutral

Secrets (Knowledge), Knowledge, Trickery

Khya

Chaotic Neutral

Creation (Life), Tempest, Trickery

Vurk

Domains Creation (Life), Spontaneity (Trickery), Nature

Vurk is the god of creation. He made the planes, the world, the first elves, and the mortals. He is thought to be kind hearted and fatherly. Artists, performers, and farmers are common among his followers. Vurk is married to Sonah and is the father of Varuna, Auruhm, and Shik.

Sonah

Domains Destruction (Death), Time (Knowledge), Grave

Sonah is the goddess of time and death. She is why there is motion and decay. Sonah watches over the dead and shepherds them to where they need to go. She is often described as stern and practical.

Varuna

Domains Magic (Knowledge), Craft (Knowledge), Forge

Sometimes called the First Daughter, Varuna loves mortals. She gave them magic and technology. She is warm and generous and generally the most well liked of the gods. Craftsmen, farmers, and wizards are her most faithful believers. She is the mother of Farrok.

Auruhm

Domains Light, Tradition (Knowledge), War

The twin brother of Shik. Auruhm taught mortals the concepts of honor, loyalty, and bravery. He created the Warforged, Aasimar, and Celestials, to wage war against the followers of Shik. Paladins and Knights most commonly follow Auruhm. Auruhm is the father of Khya.

Shik

Domains Darkness (Trickery), Innovation (Trickery), War

The twin sister of Auruhm. She taught the mortals subterfuge and misdirection. She created Orcs, Goblinoids, Tieflings, Fiends, and many Aberrations to wage war against her brother’s followers during the Twin’s War. Rogues, Spies, and Con artists are among her followers. Shik is the mother of Khya.

Farrok

Domains Secrets (Knowledge), Knowledge, Cleverness (Trickery)

Farrok is the god of knowledge and secrets. His followers do not build temples, they build libraries. One of his favorite past times, until his mother Varuna told him to stop, was to tell mortals the secrets of the universe and watch them melt or go insane from the knowledge. Now he makes them prove they can handle it before he tells them anything.

Khya

Domains Creation (Life), Tempest, Trickery

Khya is the goddess of the elements. She is particularly fond of dwarves, though they show her no more favor than any of the other gods. When she was a child her mother gave her the power of creation which she had stolen from Vurk. Khya used that to create weather, The Deep (a cavernous underground region), the Ways (small pocket dimensions), many aquatic humanoids, Duregar, and Deep Gnomes. Vurk was so impressed by her creations he allowed her to keep part of his power to use as she saw fit.

The First Elves

The First Elves were created along with the world and are immune to the effects of time. They do not age or take injury. Most mortals (including animals and non-humanoids) were born from them. They are cherished dearly by Vurk and Sonah, though the remaining gods prefer the mortals.

Mortals

Because most mortal races all come from the same source and in their early days were raised together, racial prejudice is rare in Cardinia. Even rarer still are societies consisting predominately of one race. Dwarven fortresses and elven cities exist, but they are rare. More commonly people group together on ideas. Even the races created by Auruhm, Shik, and Khya are not viewed by other mortals negatively. In Cardinia, at least, it is the content of one’s character, not the color of one’s skin that determine how they are treated.